


Solar Flares and Sick Days

by swanqueenfic13



Series: Little Luthor [23]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Mama!Kara, Mommy!Lena, Natural Disasters, Sick Character, Solar Flares, briefly, not graphic, stomach flu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 16:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14752344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: After working tirelessly to help the victims of an earthquake, Supergirl solar flares and loses her powers. While dropping Lydia off at school, both Lydia and Kara catch the stomach flu that's going around. Kara has to learn how to be a sick person for the first time.Based on the prompt from Musicalfreak14: "Would you do a part where kara blows her powers and gets sick, but she really doesn't know how to be sick."





	Solar Flares and Sick Days

An 8.9 earthquake rocked Pakistan, leveling some major cities from Islamabad to Peshawar and leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions more injured. Superman and Supergirl were doing their best to save as many as possible, but it was never-ending and the aftershocks created new dangers. Countries of the world did what they could to help, but it wasn’t enough to save everyone. 

The Kryptonians worked non-stop for three days, lifting rubble and using their powers to find, rescue, and save as many people as possible. Kara had seen more people die than she had saved and each time it cut away a piece of her. She saw children, men, and women. She saw families who died holding each other and teachers still trying to shield their students from the rubble even in death. Kara had just rescued two more victims—trapped beneath rubble with some broken bones, bruises, and scrapes, and a little thirsty, but alive at least—to the triage center when she collapsed.

 

“Why did no one force her to rest? Even for twenty minutes!” Lena growled as she paced. Lydia and Fish were with Anya so that Lena could go to the DEO where Superman was due any minute with an unconscious Kara.

“Supergirl is stubborn,” Alex said. “She wouldn’t rest when she could be out there saving people.”

“I know,” Lena sighed, her voice breaking. She ran a hand through her frizzy, unkempt hair and rested the other hand on her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. “I know it’s part of the job—getting injured, I mean. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t make my heart nearly stop any time she hurts herself doing something so stupidly noble.” Alex snorted. 

“Believe me, I get that. She’s always been like that.” Lena is about to ask how Alex is managing to keep herself together when a blur of red and blue flies in and Superman deposits Kara on the waiting gurney. Immediately the doctors, including Alex, rush to move. As they attach monitors and take her vitals, they start wheeling her towards the medical wing. Lena trotted behind them, desperate to keep her eyes on Kara even as they turned into the procedure room and Lena was forced to stay behind the window to keep the field sterile.

“Her breath sounds are strong. So is her heart,” Alex called out. “Pupils: equal and reactive. I wanna get a full-body scan to rule out any internal injuries. Peterson, give me that needle.”

“Won’t it break?” the young man asked even as he held out the needle to the senior agent. Alex didn’t respond, just found a vein in Kara’s arm and slid the needle in, hooking her up to a bag of fluids. 

“It normally would, Peterson. It would if Supergirl had her full powers. As it is, she doesn’t. She’s blown them out,” Alex explained as she took a cheek swab from Kara. “For now, Supergirl is human.”

 

Lena stayed by Supergirl’s bedside for hours, refusing to move until the woman woke, blinking and confused.

“Water,” she croaked.

“Kara,” Lena choked out, hugging Kara’s chest. Alex, who had been sitting on the other side of Kara’s bed, jumped up and poured a glass, handing it to Lena so that she could check Kara’s vitals. While Kara took sips of water through the straw, Alex checked her heart and lungs.

“Hey, Kara, I need you to tell me how you’re feeling right now, okay? Can you put the water down for a sec?” Alex asked, checking Kara’s pupils with the flashlight. Kara handed the water off to Lena, groaning as Lena and Alex eased her into an upright position.

“Everything hurts, oh god.”

“Define ‘hurts’, Kara? Is it sharp pains? Aches? Throbbing?” Alex asked, checking Kara’s reflexes now.

“Aching—like every muscle in my body is tired and can’t move,” Kara whined. Alex took a quick blood sample from the IV before letting Kara lay down again.

“Well, I have good news and bad news. Good news: you don’t have any injuries. Bad news: you blew out your powers and overexerted your muscles, so you’re going to be really sore and really human for a few days. The only medicine I can really give you to help is just over the counter pain meds. Alternate an acetaminophen and ibuprofen painkiller every few hours. Something like Icy-Hot can also help, but the only foolproof cure is time and getting your powers back,” Alex explained.

“Oh man,” Kara groaned, closing her eyes. She yawned. “Do I have to get up right now?” 

“Yes, you do. You and I have to go home and relieve the nanny and make sure Lydia knows you’re alright because she misses you and hasn’t seen you in three days. And then, you are going to get in bed and relax, understood?” Lena said sternly. 

“Mhmm,” Kara hummed, eyes still closed. Lena leaned over to kiss Kara, smiling when she felt Kara respond. Lena intertwined their fingers as they kissed before pulling back, quickly pulling Kara to her feet. She wouldn’t have had the strength to get Kara fully upright since Kara was absolutely no help and went deadweight, but Alex supported her from behind and got Kara sitting upright again.

“That was mean,” Kara murmured when Lena stopped kissing her, opening her eyes and pouting. Lena just smirked and pecked her lips again.

“You love me anyway.” Lena scrunched her nose, Kara mimicking the gesture and sticking out her tongue. Lena pressed her forehead against Kara’s, giggling now.

“I’ll get you a wheelchair, Supergirl. Lena can take you home,” Alex sighed, walking away before she had to watch her sister and her future sister-in-law start making out.

 

“Mama!” Lydia squealed. It was past Lydia’s bedtime by the time they got home from the DEO but Lena certainly understood why the little girl was up. Lena texted Anya before they left to warn her she was bringing Kara home and their daughter must have decided that staying up to see Mama was worth the scolding she might get for being up past bedtime.

“Freeze,” Lena said sharply. Lydia paused where she stood, right in front of them. Kara was leaning heavily on Lena, her entire face pinched up in pain. “Lyd, Mama is very tired and hurt. You have to be gentle. Can you go ahead and open the door to mine and Mama’s room for us?” Lydia nodded and eagerly hurried up the stairs, Fish following dutifully behind her.

“Do you need a hand?” Anya offered, following them up the stairs and gently supporting Kara from behind without waiting for an answer. Lena thanked her as they all worked together to get Kara up to the stairs and into the bed.

“I’ll be right back, love. Lyd, could you please keep Mama company while I walk Anya out?” Lena said. Lydia nodded eagerly and carefully climbed into the bed, laying close to Kara without touching her. Fish sat on the side of the bed, chin resting next to Kara’s leg as he watched her with wide eyes.

“Missed you, Mama,” Lydia whispered softly. Lena smiled at them before turning and following Anya down the stairs.

“Thank you, again, for doing this so late,” Lena said. “I’ll make sure you get the overtime for this in your next check.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anya said dismissively as she pulled on her windbreaker. “When you called and said Kara had been mugged, I was so worried. I’m glad she’s alright.”  Lena and Alex had decided that this was the best lie to tell to explain her soreness and exhaustion. Lydia had been under the impression that Kara had been working long nights helping people. While that was true, Lena didn’t tell her that Kara was helping people halfway around the world, not just in the city. Lena bid Anya goodnight before locking the front door. She grabbed some Bengay, a glass of water, and some ibuprofen before heading back upstairs.

“Shhh,” Lydia mumbled sleepily as soon as Lena walked in. She sat up, rubbing her eye with her fist. “Mama’s sleepin’,” she yawned, slurring the words together. Kara was, indeed, sound asleep, snoring lightly and Fish had moved to join her on the end of the bed, head resting on her feet.  

“Well, you look pretty close to sleep, too. And it’s past your bedtime, so let’s get you into bed,” Lena whispered, reaching down to pick Lydia up under her armpits, but Lydia whined and protested, pulling against her.

“No, Mommy, I wanna sleep with you and Mama. Please, Mommy, I missed her,” Lydia whimpered, squirming and wiggling in Lena’s arms. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I’ll be careful, I won’t hurt her.”

“Shhh, shhh,” Lena shushed, worried about waking her fianceé. Thankfully, Kara slept like the dead even when she wasn’t exhausted and temporarily human. “Don’t wake her, love bug. You can stay for tonight as long as you sleep.”

“Okay, I’ll sleep real good, I promise,” Lydia whispered, stifling a yawn.

“I know you will, my sweet girl. Do you need to get Chewy or your blankie from your room?” Lydia nodded before dropping her head sleepily on her mom’s shoulder. Lena brought her into the bedroom to grab the comfort items, grateful that Anya had at least gotten Lydia into her pajamas already. Once they returned to the master bedroom, Lena sat her daughter on the bed and carefully shifted Kara until she was underneath the covers before turning to see Lydia was practically asleep where she sat, head bobbing in an attempt to stay up.

“G’nigh’, Mommy,” Lydia slurred sleepily as Lena tucked her underneath their covers. Lena leaned back against the headboard, watching them sleep as Lydia snuggled up against Kara’s side, tucking her blankie and Chewy between them. She watched them for a moment before grabbing her laptop from the bedside table to get some work done, grateful that her whole family was safe and together again.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay to take her to school today? You’re tired, love,” Lena asked again. Kara had insisted on her ability to drive Lydia to school today, though she’d taken the afternoon off from working there. “I can drive her,” Lena offered.

“L-Corp is in the opposite direction, Lena, and you’ve got that meeting with one of your foreign research project leaders,” Kara reminded her as she pulled on a raincoat since it was just starting to drizzle.

“What good is it being the CEO if I can’t move my schedule around to take care of my family?” Lena teased as she packed Lydia’s lunch.

“Lena, I’m fine. I promise I can do this,” Kara insisted, wincing as she bent over to pull on her rain boots. Lena pursed her lips but said nothing about it.

“Okay. You’ll call me if you feel too tired? Or if it starts to hurt more?” Lena asked.

“Of course,” Kara promised. Lena sighed before smiling at Kara. She walked around the breakfast counter to kiss her quickly before putting Lydia’s lunchbox in her backpack.

“I’m putting headphones and the iPod in Lydia’s bag for if it thunders, and she’s got her white shirt for tie-dye day,” Lena told her.

“Okay, great. And don’t forget about the pre-K graduation rehearsal and the ceremony next week! You took Friday off, right?” Kara asked.

“Yes, I remembered. Lydia! Hurry up and get dressed so Mama can take you to school!” Lena shouted up the stairs.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she called down before running down the steps. Lena stifled a chuckle when Lydia appeared in the kitchen. She wore a pair of denim overall shorts, but the straps were tangled and buttoned incorrectly. She paired the outfit with a white and navy blue striped, long-sleeved t-shirt and a red cardigan, the buttons askew and mismatched. She carried a pair of red converse in her hands and her hair, so like her mother’s, was a mess.

“Come here, love bug,” Lena said with a smile. Lydia huffed as Lena fixed her outfit, buttoning everything properly. “Be good. Mama’s going to drive you in this morning.”

“Love you, Mommy,” Lydia said, stretching up on her toes to kiss Lena’s cheek, wrapping her little arms around Lena’s neck in a hug.

“Love you, too, Lydia,” Lena murmured, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s temples. When Lydia let go, Lena kissed the top of her head one more time before kissing her fianceé goodbye and heading towards the door, patting Fish on the head as she slipped her heels on.

“Let’s see what we can do about that hair, missy,” she heard Kara giggle as she left.

 

“Where is everyone?” Kara asked once Lydia had gone into the classroom. Kara only counted four of the usual six staff members present for the day, and several of the kids’ cubbies appeared to be empty. Not to mention Susan was the one at the front desk; she rarely worked the front desk unless she was severely short-staffed.

“Flu season is trying to go out with a bang. It’s making another round,” Susan explained wearily. “It’s been pretty nasty, apparently.”

“Yikes,” Kara grimaced, wincing at the ache it caused. Alex had suggested a few ways that she relieves sore muscles, so Kara couldn’t wait to get home and try some of them.

“Well, we can’t all have your immune system of steel,” Susan joked. Kara laughed weakly and held her side at the sudden ache. “Are you alright, Kara? I’m so sorry about what happened to you.”

“Thank you, Susan. I’m alright, just sore and tired,” Kara said. Susan nodded sympathetically.

“Well, you should go home and get some rest,” Susan said, moving around the desk to hug Kara. She sneezed loudly, pulling away from the hug. 

“Uh-oh,” Kara teased. “Looks like it’s hitting you, now.” She grinned.

“No, I’ve already had flu. I got over it a few days ago. This is just seasonal allergies,” Susan said, waving her hand dismissively. She sneezed again. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Thanks, Susan. You too.” Kara smiled and waved before drawing up her hood and going back out into the car to return home, exhausted by even this small errand.

 

“Mama, I don’t feel good,” Lydia whined when Kara picked her up that afternoon.

“What doesn’t feel good, sweetheart?” Kara asked, putting the back of her hand against Lydia’s forehead after strapping her into her car seat. She was definitely warm and clammy, but Kara wasn’t sure how unusual that was since she had never felt her temperature without her powers before and her sensitivity to temperature with her powers was rather dull.

“Everything,” Lydia whined, kicking her feet.

“I need you to be more specific, baby. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong,” Kara reminded her.

“My head hurts a lot and my throat hurts and my belly hurts and I’m so tired.” Her eyes welled with tears and Kara wished she could make her feel better. 

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Kara cooed.

“I’m not a baby!” Lydia said sharply, kicking the seat in front of her.

“Hey, I know you’re not feeling good and you’re grumpy, but you can’t kick. And I know you’re not a baby, but you’ll always be Mommy’s and my baby. Why don’t you close your eyes on the ride home and I’ll call Mommy, okay?” Kara placated. She grabbed Chewy from the backseat and handed him to Lydia. She immediately cuddled the toy to her face and closed her eyes. Kara sighed heavily, kissing her forehead before pulling out her phone to call Lena.

 

“Oh, sweetie, you’re okay. You’re alright,” Kara said in a soothing voice as Lydia threw up into the toilet. Shortly after getting home, she’d gotten worse, complaining more about her bellyache before leaning over and throwing up on the floor. Kara quickly ushered her into the bathroom as she continued to empty the contents of her stomach. She pulled Lydia’s hair back and rubbed circles on her back, humming softly. When her heaving stopped, she started to cry.

“Mama, I feel icky,” she sobbed.

“I know, love bug. Why don’t we get you all cleaned up and in some jammies? We can have a nice, calm night. I’ll make you soup and we can watch a movie and cuddle on the couch, okay?” Kara offered.

“Mommy too?” she asked, sniffling.

“Sure thing,” Kara whispered, kissing her forehead. As she filled the bath with lukewarm water and Lydia rinsed out her mouth, Kara shot off a text updating Lena. After Kara’s call on the way home, Lena had wanted to leave work early, but Kara insisted she could handle it, with the promise that she would update Lena if Lydia got worse. She knew Lena would be rushing home as soon as she heard Lydia was worse, but looking at Lydia sitting miserably on the closed toilet lid, flecks of vomit on her pants and shirt, Kara knew that Lydia needed both of her moms.

“Hey, love bug, can you watch the tub to make sure it doesn’t overflow while I go clean up the living room real quick?” Kara whispered. Lydia nodded, sniffling and swinging her feet nervously. “That’s my good girl. Yell if it gets too full, okay?” Kara jogged off, ignoring her protesting, aching muscles. She had just finished cleaning up when Lydia called down to her. She made her way back upstairs as quickly as she could to turn the water off and get Lydia into the bath, hoping to soothe her little girl before she got worse.

 

By the next morning, Lena Luthor was in charge of two very sick girls. 

She arrived home to find Lydia dressed in pajamas, her hair hanging in two wet braids. She looked small, curled up on Kara’s lap on the couch. She was cocooned in blankets, shivering despite the warm night and sweat beading on her forehead. Lena had stopped on the way home to get some chicken noodle soup, crackers, and ginger ale, hoping the meal would soothe her stomach. Lydia had only gotten through a few spoons-full of soup and a few crackers before pushing the food away. She threw it up again within an hour. Lydia went to bed early, sweaty and exhausted and nauseous.

Kara woke up in the middle of the night to throw up what she’d eaten; Kara and Lydia had been up every hour to throw up, leaving Lena to run back and forth between two bathrooms to try to soothe both of them. Now, Kara was feverish and sweaty but complained of being cold. Lena had brought both girls into the rec room, making them comfortable on the couches and setting them up for a Disney movie marathon. She brought up some crackers and juice, but neither Kara nor Lydia even moved towards it.

“Okay, I’ll be in my office getting some work done. Shout if you need me, okay? And if you’re going to be sick, either make it to the bathroom or try to get it in a bucket,” Lena reminded them. She kissed both of their heads and went into the office to try and get some work done.

 

“Kara, no! You cannot have bacon!” Lena scolded. She’d left her office when she heard someone in the kitchen where she found Kara—still trailing a blanket like a cape—trying to make bacon.

“But I’m hungry,” Kara whined, swaying slightly where she stood. Lena put an arm around her waist to steady her while easily using her other hand to turn off the stove and move the pan from the heat. “There’s nothing left in my system. I can’t get my powers back if I don’t have any energy.”

“Then I can get you something to eat—something  _ plain _ to eat. Bacon is probably going to upset your stomach and it’ll come right back up,” Lena explained, leading Kara back up to the rec room. “How’s Lydia?”

“Asleep. She hasn’t thrown up in a while, but she keeps running off to the bathroom,” Kara sighed, letting her head rest on Lena’s shoulder.

“Poor little thing,” Lena murmured. She deposited Kara in the living room again, tucking her into the blankets even though she was feverish and sweating. “Now, you, missy, are going to lay here and watch some TV or a movie, or you can take a nap or read. I will bring you some Gatorade and some applesauce if you want it.” Kara nodded eagerly. “It’s just the flu. It should only last a day or two. You’ll be back to normal soon, I promise,” Lena said softly. “And then you’ll get your powers back and you’ll feel even better.”

“I love you,” Kara said simply. Lena beamed.

“I love you, too. Even when you’re sweaty and smell like vomit.”

“So romantic,” Kara sighed dreamily. Lena giggled, scrunching her nose and sticking her tongue out at Kara. Kara just rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue back at Lena. On her way back down to the kitchen, Lena ruffled Kara’s hair playfully, smirking over her shoulder as Kara let out weak protests.

 

Kara woke from her nap nauseous and cold, soaked in sweat. She leaned heavily on the bathroom sink after vomiting yet again and rinsing her mouth. As she stared in the mirror, Kara remembered that Lena kept medicine in the cabinet. Rifling through the bottles, she looked for something that said ‘flu’. The only thing she could find was Nyquil, but she didn’t really want to fall asleep, so Kara kept looking and found some concentrated caffeine pills.

“Should counteract each other,” Kara mused quietly. She poured out the little capful of Nyquil and swallowed it, wincing at the taste before swallowing the caffeine pill with a cup of water.

“You alright, Kara?” Lena asked, knocking on the bathroom door. Kara put the medicine back and washed her hands one more time before going out to see Lena, smiling wearily at her.

“Not feeling too great, but I’ll be fine,” Kara said. Lena nodded and went back to check on Lydia, who was awake and grumpy. Kara followed sluggishly behind, waiting for the medicines to take effect.

 

“Kara, please stop giving Fish cheese. You know he gets gassy when he eats too much,” Lena sighed. She had stopped working an hour ago when it became clear that Kara would not settle down. She was everywhere: in the kitchen, running through the halls, causing mischief wherever she went. Once Lena realized that Kara had taken both caffeine pills and Nyquil, she knew she’d be dealing with a very high Kara.

“But you said I can’t eat any, so he’s eating it for me,” Kara explained before dissolving into a fit of giggles and snorting laughter. “I’m so hungry! I could eat chips or… or a steak!” she said after a while.

“Kara, no. You’ll throw up if you do,” Lena said sternly. She was glad that Lydia had fallen back asleep, exhausted from all the throwing up and inability to keep anything down. “Come lie down with me and just… relax,” Lena pled.

“Mmmm, okay, okay,” Kara giggled, letting Lena lead her into their bedroom. She stumbled on her own feet the entire way before tripping over a pair of dirty jeans left on the floor, tumbling headfirst into the bed. “Pffft, ha!” Kara rolled around laughing as Lena just rolled her eyes, turning down the covers and manhandling Kara so that she was laying underneath them. She was still giggling lightly under her breath when she rolled over, coming face to face with Lena. “You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you, beautiful,” Lena said with a smile. Kara ran a hand through Lena’s hair with a reverent look on her face.

“You have such pretty hair,” Kara gasped. “So soft.” Lena stifled a snicker.

“Close your eyes, Kara. Sleep,” Lena whispered.

“I can’t. I won’t see your pretty face anymore.” Lena bit her lip to hide her smile. “See? So pretty.”

“Picture it in your mind, then. You need to sleep the medicine off.”

“Can’t I just… sleep with my eyes open? You’re so pretty and I love you so much,” Kara begged.

“Well, I’m going to close my eyes and rest. I’d like it if you could, too. I won’t sleep if I know you’re watching me,” Lena pointed out; she felt like she was talking to Lydia when she was two, precocious and stubborn, but still earnestly adoring.

“Okay, okay, I will,” Kara whispered, nodding so fervently she resembled a bobblehead.

“You promise?” Lena asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Pinky swear!” Kara insisted. Lena smiled softly and Kara giggled, poking Lena’s cheek.

“Dimple,” she giggled. Lena gave her a reproachful look, smirking. “Right, right, I’m closing my eyes. I promise! I am,” Kara said, working hard to stifle her giggles before screwing her eyes shut tight. Lena watched her for a moment before closing her eyes to try and get some rest. She heard Kara giggling and felt her fingers gently carding through her hair. Lena opened one eye to find Kara staring at her. Once she realized she was caught, Kara’s eyes widened, her eyebrows rose to her hairline, and her jaw dropped to form an ‘o’ shape with her mouth.

“Caught you,” Lena smirked. “Now, turn around, close your eyes, and  _ rest _ .” When Kara hesitated, pouting, Lena gestured with her finger for her to rotate. Kara rolled over, still pouting, and Lena immediately pulled her closer by the waist, wrapping her arms loosely around Kara’s torso. “Rest now,” she repeated softly, pressing a kiss to Kara’s neck. Kara hummed happily, snuggling back into Lena, letting her muscles relax; Lena just hoped it was enough to get her to fall asleep until the medications had worn off.

 

When Lydia got up, she just wanted her moms. Her belly still felt icky and she was so  _ tired _ and her head hurt and she just wanted Mommy to cuddle her and tell her everything would be okay. But when she got out of bed, the whole world started spinning really fast. She couldn’t balance and she fell to the ground, landing hard on her butt.

“Mama! Mommy!” she yelped, more in surprise and fear than in pain. She closed her eyes to make the room stop spinning and put her head on the ground.

“What happened, Lydia?” Mommy asked, kneeling down and putting her hand on Lydia’s back.

“I j-just wanted to f-find you, but I got up and everything started spinning and-and-and I fell down!” Lydia cried. Mommy picked her up and held her on her lap.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Mommy cooed, rocking her back and forth. Normally, Lydia would complain that she wasn’t a baby and didn’t need to be rocked like one, but she didn’t feel good and Mommy was making it better, so she didn’t say anything. “Let’s get you something to drink, hmmm? Some juice. Your body needs food and nutrients to give you energy, but your sick belly isn’t letting your body keep the food in. That’s why you got so dizzy,” Mommy explained as she stood, putting Lydia on the ground for only a moment before picking her up again. Lydia kept her eyes shut tight.

“I don’t like it,” Lydia grumbled, resting her head on her Mommy’s shoulder.

“I know, love, I don’t like it much either. I’m going to put you in our bed with Mama while I go get some juice for you both, hmm? We’ll have to take you to a doctor if you still can’t keep anything down,” Mommy said before moving to put Lydia under the covers. Lydia curled up next to Mama, who was snoring. She kept her eyes closed and wiggled close, fisting her hand in the fabric of Mama’s shirt while she waited for Mommy to come back with juice.

 

Lydia was feeling better by the morning, but it took two more days for Kara to bounce back, sticking to plain foods and relying heavily on electrolyte drinks, but able to keep it down. It took three more days before Kara got her powers back; she spent a lot of time under sun lamps and outside in the natural sunlight before she felt her powers start to return. Lena had offered to try and kickstart Kara’s powers the way she had the last time, but Kara still wasn’t feeling well enough to be in the mood for sex, so she’d had to wait for her powers to return naturally. But, Alex wouldn’t let Kara forget her brief bout of human illness.

“Not only did you take  _ Nyquil _ for a  _ stomach bug _ , but you also mixed it with caffeine pills! You got high on common household medicines!” Alex laughed. Kara had been called in for a debrief about everything that had happened while she’d been sick and without her powers. The city had been quiet in terms of large-scale crime, so the debrief was more of a rundown of petty crimes and lost animals rescued.

“It said ‘flu’ on the bottle! And Lena said we had the stomach flu!” Kara said defensively, crossing her arms.

“That’s just a colloquialism, really,” J’onn explained. “What is commonly referred to as the stomach flu is really a gastrointestinal infection. The flu is a virus.”

“Well, I think people should stop doing that, then. Call it what it is,” Kara pouted.

“I bet you were the  _ worst  _ kind of sick person,” Alex continued. “You were probably all whiny like ‘Lena, bring me soup, please. I feel so weak, please help me,’” Alex teased in a weak whine, like a cartoon old woman. Kara scowled and shoved her.

“Excuse you! I wasn’t that bad,” Kara protested.

“She wasn’t,” Lena called out with a smile. She was meeting Kara for lunch before getting their engagement photos taken. 

“Thank you, dear,” Kara beamed, speeding over to kiss Lena in greeting.

“You just didn’t really know how to be sick, that’s all,” Lena clarified when Kara pulled back. “Did she tell you she tried to eat bacon when she was still throwing up? And she fed cheese to Fish so she could live vicariously through him.”

“No, she did not,” Alex gasped, grinning mischievously.

“Lena! You’re supposed to be on my side,” Kara whined. Lena pecked her cheek.

“We’re getting married, love. I’m always on your side. It’s not your fault you’ve never been sick before. Now, we need to go soon if we’re going to make our reservations,” Lena chuckled. Kara grumbled but interlaced her fingers with Lena’s as they made their way out.


End file.
